The Dark Crystal

This sprawling, part-homage-part-totally original fantasy brings us Jen, the last of a group of near extinct creatures who is the only one who can save all existence by bringing a crystal shard back into the balance of the dark crystal, in order to save the world from the evil Skekses. This is quite an enthralling film, and like with the other full-on Muppet films this works on different levels for kids and for adults. Kids may be both scared and enthralled by the scope and details, not to mention the graphic nature of the darker elements portrayed (as a kid I cringed a bit when the 'vital essence' scenes came up). And for adults there's a lot of great craftsmanship that goes into the story, which is with all of the effects and over-the-top creations very well told by directors Henson and Oz. Without the massive usage of CGI or the more controlled visuals from the past fifteen or so years, the mix of the production design (maybe some of the best ever in any fantasy film) and the inventiveness put into the set-pieces and character-creations, is a knockout even by today's standards. It's almost a shame looking back on how a film like this that employs so many people and such time is now spent clicking away on a computer to get it all done. As it is, the Dark Crystal is one of those few examples in post-modern cinema that it does seem something like a sci-fi novel come to life.

I didn't know a lot about The Dark Crystal before going in, other than it being created completely with puppetry, involving a giant crystal of some kind, and being reasonably dark for something aimed at kids. The story is pretty basic, especially considering how much thought and care went into everything else about this movie. Jen, the last of his kind, must find a shard of the crystal, and slot it back into place. Why? He doesn't know, but he embarks on the journey nonetheless, a journey that has him meet a variety of characters and creatures along the way. That's literally it; the entire story.

Thankfully there's heaps more to this movie than just its superficial story. For starters, the world created for the movie is quite unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a wholly original affair from the ground up. We're told through an opening narration that we are on a different planet, in a different time, and that it used to be peaceful and beautiful, but something happened when the crystal fractured and two brand new species emerged. The Skeksis are dark and greedy, vain and selfish. They hoard all they can and constantly fight amongst themselves, but they're a dying race, quite literally decaying as time goes on. Now there's only ten of them, who spend their time holed up in a macabre castle in a wasteland. On the flipside are the urRu, a group of placid, lumbering, four-armed creatures who live amongst the life magic around them. Jen is a Gelfling, the last of his kind after the Skeksis wiped the rest of them from the face of the planet. There's also the Podlings which are a small and timid people hunted by the Skeksis and exploited as slaves, the Garthim, a race of giant arachnid beetles who the Skeksis use as their muscle, and lastly Aughra, an ogre-like oracle who studies the planets and brews potions for trade.

Immediately I was struck by how dark this movie really is. Of course I've always found 80s fantasy movies to be of a darker calibre than any other period, but The Dark Crystal is darker than most. The Skeksis are a truly villainous race, with a frightening appearance, and a disturbing penchant for sucking the life out of their victims before using the zombified husks as slaves, not to mention the off-screen genocide they committed against the Gelflings. And this is a movie for kids! Of course, being aimed at a younger audience means it's not as horrific as it could be for adult eyes, but it still manages to skirt the line just enough.

But of course the single biggest lure for The Dark Crystal are the technical aspects. This was the first live-action movie not to feature humans at all. The closest it gets is with people dressed up as Jen and Kira in longshots to make running and climbing more feasible. To make up for the distinct lack of people, the puppetry department goes all out. I don't think I've ever seen puppetry this amazing, not even in other Jim Henson productions. There's so much detail put into every aspect of this movie. Each of the ten Skeksis are resplendently designed in such a way to be distinctly different to one another. They have different facial features, wear different clothes, and even act differently (as portrayed in a fantastic dinner scene displaying how varied their eating habits are). The urRu also have an incredible amount of detail just on their faces alone, but also the way they slowly lumber about and their four arms interact with one another. The sheer amount of practice this must have taken from their dual performers is impressive alone. The settings and world around the characters are also brimming with life. There's a staggering amount of creatures and animals here, each with their own role in the local ecosystems. You may only see one briefly in the background, but even they enjoy the same attention to detail. There's just so much here. It's a full and brimming world that's so easy to be immersed into. They even wrote fictional languages for each of the main races! I would love to have seen a version with this, but even I can admit that maybe would have been too much for a movie with already risky prospects at the time.

I'm hard-pushed to called The Dark Crystal a masterpiece, because there are some deep flaws here. The story is incredibly simplistic and is far from original, the Gelflings for some reason don't seem to enjoy the same attention to detail as everyone else, despite being the heroes of the whole story, and the dialogue and narration is a little lacking in places. Beyond that, this movie was still amazing to watch today and it's technical achievements still hold up. I'm looking forward to delving into Age of Resistance later. I give Dark Crystal a really, really good 8/10

This movie is like an odd, but wonderful dream. It takes place in a fantasy world, created by the talented duo, Frank Oz and Jim Henson. Everything in this film is so meticulously done, that it still lives on to this day. Computer effects be damned. This film has texture, and it is pleasing to watch. This movie, as you will see, was made for kids. But really, it is a masterpiece in film-making. True, good, story-telling. Sure, kids will love it, but the film isn't really aimed at them like most kid movies are. It is complicated, eerie, beautiful, and intelligent... most of all, mystical. I reccomend this to anyone seriously interested in film, especially fantasy... not to be missed!

The Dark Crystal is a fantastic film made by Jim Henson. It truly is one of those movies that prove what a genius he was, and that his genius stretched past Kermit and Big Bird. However…I always have mixed feelings about this movie.

The Dark Crystal takes place in a fantasy land that has fallen out of balance and turned evil because "the dark crystal" has lost a shard. Then comes Jen, a "gelfling", a small creature with a sweet face and long hair. Jen has has been raised by the "mystics" large, peaceful creatures that tell him he is the last of his kind. He is the last of his kind because the "skeksies" have killed all the gelflings due to a prophesy that a gelfling will overthrow their reign. The skeksies are evil, bird/reptile like creatures that are the complete opposite of the mystics. Simultaneously, the leader of the skeksies and leader of the mystics die, and Jen goes on a quest to find the missing shard in the Dark Crystal. On his journey Jen finds Kira, a female gelfling raised by "podlings", who also believed she was the last of her kind. Together, Kira and Jen must find a way to restore the shard to the dark crystal, therefore creating balance in their world once more.

This movie is a visual feast. It is absolutely amazing what Henson managed to do with the muppets and the worlds he created. As many have said it is even more amazing to see it in comparison to today's CGI and advanced special effects, and appear superior. The plot is also solid, with lots of meaning and spirit. However…I personally always found the film difficult to enjoy. As a child this movie gave me horrible nightmares, as it did for many other people. This is probably high on the list of traumatizing children's movies! So parents be forewarned, this shouldn't be shown to children under age 8, or even those a bit older who scare easily. In fact, adults can still find many aspects of this film disturbing, including scary characters, music, voices, and actions. One of the most disturbing aspects is how the skeksies would suck the "essence" (soul) out of podlings, drink it to prolong their own youth, and then make the podlings into slaves. As an adult I can look past the scary parts to recognize how well the film is made and written, but I still find it difficult to enjoy. That aside, it's definitely worth a watch.

Though I love the Muppets and other works of Jim Henson, I still say for years since my birth in 1982, The Dark Crystal has always grown on me. From interesting characters to surreal environments, this movie will capture the eyes of the imaginative and Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans. Though it may move slow at times, but it does not bother me. It gets me more into the world of the Dark Crystal, named Thyra.

It was also good for it's symbolism as well. The Dark Crystal like many classic children's shows and movies of its time did not talk down to kids nor underestimate their intelligence for that matter. In fact, the morals and symbolism appeals to non-discriminating adults as well.

P.S. I think the Skeksis are awesome! Especially the General, Chamberlain and the Mad Scientist Skeksis!